Moscow hosts international vegetarian festival

An international vegetarian festival was full of all kinds of various cultural performances and experiences. Source: Alexandra Nesterova

The cultural-educational center Ethnomir near Moscow offers visitors an atmosphere of easy peacefulness. VegFest 2013, which was held there on July 22-28, was a great example of how ambience can change a person.

In the heat of the
hot summer days in the hectic city, it would be a breath of fresh air to plunge
into a completely different, new world of harmony with oneself and nature.
VegFest 2013, an international vegetarian festival held in the cultural-educational
center Ethnomir on July 22-28, was a perfect chance to do just this.

This was the fourth
time the festival was held, so the majority of visitors knew what to expect.
Gurus and masters of healthy lifestyles from all over the world came here to
find followers, educate beginners and share their experiences. The possibilities
at VegFest were truly fascinating.

Everyone could
choose from something of interest to them — from master classes in raw food dieting
and personal yoga training, to cultural performances and lectures on the benefits
of becoming a vegetarian.

People had the chance to try vegetarian
food from a variety of health-conscious restaurants and cafes. Source: Alexandra Nesterova

One of the most
important figures at the festival was Manish Jain from Vegan Education Center.
Along with his wife Neena Jain (who also taught yoga at the event) and his daughter,
Manish came from India especially for VegFest 2013, to tell people about
veganism. He is a lifelong vegan and has never eaten anything made of animals.

“It is terrible
to see all these factories and farms where people raise these animals to be
killed. These people have to understand simple theses: You won’t miss anything
being vegan, you’ll be healthier if you didn’t eat meat, veganism will help to
solve environmental problems and, the most important thing, people must have a connection
to what they are eating. Who are we to kill living beings, if they exist just
like we do?” said Manish.

He also spoke
well of the festival and of Russia, in general: “It is a really nice idea to
hold a festival like this. Unfortunately, not so many people came to my
pavilion — just about 30 or 50 — maybe because they think it’s boring to learn
about vegetarianism when they like meat. But we have an inclination: People all
over the world are becoming vegetarian, and in Russia too. By the way, I
suppose I like Russia. People here are mostly nice, and we found here in Moscow
some good vegetarian restaurants and cafes, like Loving Hut, Happy Vegan Shop,
Avocado café, Jagannath, Fresh restaurant and café, Namaste Caterers.”

In addition to
theoretical demonstrations of the advantages of vegetarianism, practical
classes were available at VegFest too. People had the chance to try vegetarian
food from a variety of health-conscious restaurants and cafes like Ivan-Chaynaya,
Ivan-Lapsha, the Indian restaurant Namaste, and the Thai restaurant Fuji-San.

For those who wanted
to learn how to cook tasty vegetarian food for themselves, special master classes
were organized, where experienced vegans and vegetarians taught recipes and interesting
tips to all comers. In addition, special ingredients, delicacies and other rare
items could be bought at VegFest’s Green Market.

Among other
things, VegFest was full of all kinds of various cultural performances and
experiences: Everyone was able to attend different kinds of yoga led by famous
teachers, special meditation classes like Tibet Healing Graal, or even master classes
in different kinds of ethnic dances. Of course, visitors could also just watch
these professionals perform their best onstage.

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Alexander,
instructor of the cultural center INBI in Moscow, came here for his second time
and was very pleased with his visit: “Everything in Ethnomir is completely
different — the atmosphere, the people. We would be very happy to come here the
next time.” He also noted that this was a wonderful place to find like-minded people.
Some people who visited INBI’s master class last year have become the center’s
followers back in Moscow.

As for
accommodations for festival-goers who wanted to stay for more than one day, only
options close to nature were made available: They could live in replica Slavic
izbas and yurts, or in a tent.

This is not the
first time Ethnomir has hosted such an event. Almost every weekend there are
different interesting festivals and celebrations at the center — like the famous
Wild Mint festival, for example. The convenient location, interesting programs
and inexpressible atmosphere make the center a perfect chance for escape from the
everyday, hectic urban existence.